A Promise To Meet Again
by Wia S
Summary: Yasopp has found his wife's grave, but not his son. Kaya holds all the answers, and the marksman renews a promise he made long ago. YasoppXKaya Friendship UsoppXYasopp Family OneShot


**A/N: This is my first update since I've moved and have been able to get down to writing. I promise, there are more on their way, but it will take some time. For now, a nice long One-shot involving Yasopp and Kaya and how I envision them first meeting. :)**

_Disclaimer: Sorry, I don't own One Piece. If I did, the entire Straw Hat crew would be on Amazon Lilly, and poor Sanji would have passed out from blood loss through his nose.f_

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Yasopp felt tears sting his eyes. After so many years, they had finally returned to his home, to Syrup Village, and what welcomed him back? The grave of his late wife, whom he had no idea died, and his child missing. None of the villagers had been able to give him any information on what happened, only vague facts. Shortly after the arrival of a small pirate crew, rumors of the Black Cat pirates making landing as well, their captain, Kuro, trying to steal Lady Kaya's fortune, and then Usopp's mysterious disappearance.

The marksman couldn't make a clear story of any of it. With a heavy heart, he went to his old home, and let himself wallow in past memories.

The house had hardly been touched by time; everything was practically the same since he left. The rocking chair Banchina would sit and sing their newborn to sleep in. The cradle he had made right before Usopp's birth that sat before the fire place and would entertain his son with stories of his great sea adventures, most of which were lies. In the parlor, the painting his wife had done of the sea during her pregnancy, softly cooing to their unborn child on how someday, he would become a great sailor and follow in his footsteps. The final day when he had said goodbye to both her and his beloved son, promising to come back someday and tell them of all his adventures. She was wearing the blue sundress he always loved to see her in, and he was in a diaper with a jolly roger on his shirt. It was a perfect sight.

And now, here he was. Fulfilling the promise he made so many years ago. He had returned, but where were they? It was painfully obvious that someone had been living in this house for years before suddenly leaving, maybe even his son!

There was a slingshot on the mantle of the fireplace, next to his old one. A picture of a pretty teenage girl with blond hair dressed in a yellow dress. Another picture of three boys and an older teen, a jolly roger held between them. The older teen was his son, and he couldn't help but notice how much he looked like him, but smiled at the nose and hair color he bore, both traits of his mother.

Despair clutched his heart as he looked at the photo. Where was he? Where was his baby boy?

"Hey! What are you doing in Captain Usopp's house?! Trying to pillage it are you?!" A squeaky voice called from the doorway, causing him to quickly look up.

There were three boys, each with very odd haircuts, holding a "weapon" of sorts, and determined expressions on their faces.

"Answer us!" The one with a Carrot shaped head demanded, brandishing a frying pan.

Yasopp looked at the picture in his hands, and then at the three boys before him. They were younger in the photo, but it was unmistakable that it was them in the picture.

"This photo," he began, showing them the picture, "do you know who this boy is?! Do you know my son?!" He finished, his voice taking on a desperate tone.

"What, Captain Usopp? Yeah, we know him. And why do you say he's your son?" The boy with the pepper head asked, confused.

"Yeah, he said his father left to be a pirate years ago. You sure don't look like a pirate." The last boy, the one with the Onion head, finished.

"Where is he now? Do you know?!"

"Tamanegi, Ninjin, Piiman, what are you doing here? You better not be looking for the gunpowder again." A new voice came, this time of a young woman.

Looking past the boys, he saw the same girl that was in the photo coming up the driveway, smiling gently at the three boys.

"Stand back, Ms. Kaya! There is a strange man trying to rob the Captain's house!" Tamanegi shouted, holding up the rock he had in his hand.

"Strange man, what are you talking about?" Kaya asked, looking at Yasopp for the first time.

A silence fell between them all, before it was broken when the bowl the girl held fell and shattered into many pieces at her feet.

"I-It can't be." She whispered, slowly walking forward to get a better look.

She gently pushed the three boys aside, and entered the house, her eyes never leaving Yasopp's face.

"Yasopp? Is your name Yasopp?" She asked.

The marksman nodded, unsure of what was taking place.

The girl gasped and stumbled back.

"Ms. Kaya!" The three boys exclaimed, helping her keep her balance and guiding her to the rocking chair so she could sit.

"I'm fine, boys. I'm fine, just surprised." She reassured them, her eyes once again focusing on the man in front of her.

"I'm sorry miss, but, do I know you're from somewhere?" Yasopp politely asked.

The girl shook her head.

"No, but it's quite easy to recognize you from the descriptions you son gave. I'm amazed that he got them all accurate!" The girl explain, laughter filling her voice at the last statement.

Amazed, Yasopp let himself fall in another spare chair, his gazing off into space, the photo in his hand held in an almost death grip.

"Whenever he couldn't think of a new tale to tell me, he would always speak of you, sometimes his mother, but mostly of you. They were from stories his mother would tell him, and memories he had as well. Sometimes, he would entertain me with what adventures he believed you were on, and the how you were the best sharp shooter in the world. Before he left, he promised me two things. One, to come back one day and tell me of all his adventures, and two, to meet you on the seas, and make you proud of him." The girl explained, her gentle smile now directed at him.

Yasopp felt tears sting his eyes once more, this time of happiness. Not only was his son alive, but he vowed to meet him on the sea and to show him the man he had become. But, one thing was bothering him.

"Why is Usopp out at sea? Did he join the marine's or something?" He asked in confusion.

Kaya's light laughter filled the room once more.

"Goodness no! He's a pirate!" She said happily, not at all fazed at the notion.

Yasopp, however, was the opposite.

"PIRATE?! WHY THE HELL DID HE BECOME A PIRATE?! HE CAN'T! IT'S TOO DANGEROUS!" He shouted, jumping from his seat, and pacing furiously.

The blond girl hardly seemed fazed.

"I can't see why you are upset. You're a pirate, and from what Usopp told me, to those that the Jolly Roger calls, it's impossible to ignore. He was called, and so he went. Besides, he is with a good crew, and an amazing captain. You don't need to worry about him." She explained gently.

Yasopp stopped his pacing, and looked at the girl with a more inquisitive set of eyes.

"Forgive me, miss, but how exactly do you know my son?" He asked, though he believed he already knew the answer.

The blush on the girl's face was enough proof for him. However, as she opened her mouth to answer him, he was pushed back into his chair by three very excited boys.

"Are you really the Captain's father?!"

"Tell us about your adventures!"

"What is your job on your ship?"

"Have you been to the Grand Line?"

"Who's your Captain?"

They continued asking him questions, one after another, never allowing him a moment to answer even one of them.

"Boys, boys, give a man a chance to speak. And I'm sure he has some questions of his own. Let's let him go first." Kaya gently admonished.

The boys fell silent, and listened to the girl, but still looked eagerly up at him. Yasopp couldn't help but smile at them. They reminded him of how Luffy used to act whenever they returned from a voyage. But, first thing was first. He needed to know what happened to his son.

"Miss, ever since my nakama and I have made port, I've been trying to figure out what happened to my wife and my son, but the villagers have only been able to give me vague facts. Something tells me though that you know the truth. Please, tell me." He asked, his eyes boring into this mysterious girl's, silently telling her he wouldn't leave without the truth.

"Of course. Boys, can you please leave Yasopp-san and I alone so we can talk?" She spoke, giving the young boys a look that said to follow without question.

"Alright, but if he tries anything, don't be afraid to give him a good wallop right in his face!" The carrot head shaped one said, emphasizing his words by holding up one of his fists.

"I'm a doctor. I'll kill him and make it look like an accident."

That seemed to satisfy the boys because they ran out the front door without another thought. As soon as they were alone, Kaya turned back to him and gave him a small smile that reminded him so much of Banchina.

"Where should I begin? I guess the very beginning is the best. When I was a little girl, my father nursed a dying man back to health and later he hired this man to become our head butler."

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She went on to tell him all about her parent's death and her own illness. She told him about the first day she met Usopp outside her window, and how he came every day after to tell her stories of the sea and his amazing adventures, most of which had been a lie, but she enjoyed them none the less. He found out about how his wife got sick and how it was the start of his son running through the town crying that the Red Haired pirates were coming so he could take his wife and son out to sea with him. He silently cried when he heard of her death and how his boy grew up without both a mother and a father.

She spoke for almost three hours, and he listened intently. When he heard that his boy had not only become a pirate, but was part of Luffy's infamous crew, that was what really for him crowing! She even showed him his first bounty poster, and even though he was behind a mask, the long nose was enough proof enough. Besides, for a first bounty it was quite impressive and any father would be happy to boast about it. Plus, he would love to brag to that bastard Slide, one of his crewmates. His son only had a 20 million bounty. _His_ son beat him by 10 million! God, it would feel good to rub it in the man's face.

"Do you know where Usopp is now?" He asked, looking up from the bounty poster, a large grin on his face.

"Yes. He sent me a letter a month ago. From the information their navigator gave him, they are headed toward the Sabaody Archipelago. I looked it up on one of my father's old maps, and it says that it's the last island of the Grand Line before the New World. Though, I'm sure you know more about this then I do." She answered; not at all shy in implying that she knew he was a seasoned pirate.

That fact was that he knew that place very well. It was a terrible place stuck in the past, with the barbaric morals to prove it. He was a lot of things. A murderer, a thief, a pillager, and to sum it all up, a pirate, but even he had some morals. He murdered only when he had to and he hated it. He stole from those that didn't deserve the wealth. He pillaged marine ships and other pirates. But, he refused to own another human being!

And, hating another person just because they were different? How petty and childish. When he first showed up on that island so many years ago, he had released a total of 23 slaves with his own pistol. Sure, it had caused a bit of a commotion, but once he quilted his captain into showing off his power a bit, it had calmed down.

Knowing his son was heading in that direction had caused his gut to flip in two different ways. The first was pride. His boy had made it to the end of the Grand Line! Just goes to show that when it came to choosing nakama, Luffy took his time thinking it through, made no rash decisions, and only took the best! The second was worry. He knew just how dangerous the Sabaody Archipelago was, seeing as only the best pirates made it there and it was right next to Marine HQ.

"You shouldn't worry." Kaya's voice broke into his thoughts.

He blinked his eyes, suddenly realizing that he had been staring off into space.

"He is in good hands, and I don't think there is a man alive that can beat him in a duel, though, you might be an exception." She explained, giving him a small wink.

Yasopp allowed himself to puff up with pride.

"Well then, I think I should tell you about the time I went face to face with the most fearsome marine sniper and won! You see, it was one a dark night almost 13 years ago…"

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For the rest of the night, the pirate happily entertained the young woman and the three boys with grand tales of the sea. Some of which he inflated, just a bit. They didn't seem to mind though.

As he made shadow figures with his hands, adding a touch of humor and excitement to his story, he thought of all he had learned.

Yasopp knew he would someday meet his boy out at sea. Maybe the same day Shanks meets up with Luffy again, maybe sooner or even later. He didn't know. What he did know was that they would meet, and that when they did, his boy would no longer be a boy. He would be a man, and he would make him the proudest father of the Grand Line and beyond.

But, for now he would stick close to home. He was sure his captain and nakama wouldn't mind. It had been awhile since they had stayed in one port for more than a day or two. Besides, Miss Kaya and the Usopp Pirate Crew had gone for too long without a good story teller.

_Soon, Usopp, very soon we will meet again. _He thought, twisting his fingers together and holding them up to the firelight so they cast a shadow in the shape of a dragon on the opposite wall.

_That's a promise._

** A nice long one-shot. The ending was what really took most of my time. I knew how I wanted it to finish off, but wording it was the problem. Still, I'm pleased with how this turned out.**

**Please review.**

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